Budget 2020-21: Sustained investment in medical research

The George Institute for Global Health welcomes the sustained investment in medical research announced in the 2020-21 Budget announced on Tuesday evening.

The $6.6 billion investment over the next four years includes funding the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and the Biomedical Translation Fund (BTF).

Professor Bruce Neal said this investment will be appreciated by researchers at The George Institute.

“We welcome the funding for the MRFF and NHMRC grant programs, particularly the increase to the MRFF from $393 million to $580 million since last year,” he said.

“This increase in funding will give our researchers greater confidence in applying for medical research grants.”

“We note the budget was delayed by several months due to focus required to manage the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health and the economy.”

“This was not a business-as-usual budget.”

“As people with non-communicable diseases are at higher risk from COVID-19, we encourage the government to prioritise preventative measures over the coming year,” Professor Neal said.